Follow me
info@mikecohen.ca

Our former Police Commander shows his “historian” side

It was most interesting to watch the recent French-language documentary called Le Berceau des Anges le documentaire) about the Montreal Black Market baby ring of the 1940's and '50's. Montreal West resident and former Montreal Police Department photographer Harold Rosenberg brought it to my attention.

"I was sold to my parents by the same people who operated the ring," Harold explains.

I was delighted to see former Police Station 9 Commander Sylvain Bissonnette interviewed and identified as a "historian."  This is something I did not know about Sylvain, a true gentleman who ran police operations out of the Kildare and Cavendish headquarters for seven years until August 2013.  He is now the commander at Station 8 in Lachine.

Bissonnette

Here I am with Commander Bissonnette shortly before his departure.
"Sylvain and I volunteer together at the Montreal Police Museum.," Rosenberg explained. "Neither of us realized at the time that we were both participating in the same documentary project. He's a very smart guy. He's the historian for the Police Museum, while I'm a researcher."
 
Rosenberg spoke French while most of the others did so in English with sub-titles. "It was very well done, and really shows the way things were with the Jewish and Catholic communities in those years in Montreal," Rosenberg notes.
 
The 45-minute  film aired last week on the Historia specialty channel. It's now available for free viewing.  Here is the link: 

 
The documentary was produced as accompaniment to a five-part drama series (Le Berceau des Anges) that aired on SeriePlus.
 
As for Commander Bissonnette, he shared this information with me.

"When I was doing my BA, I met a chief inspector who was an history buff," he explained. " I decided then to do a Master's Degree in history on the subject of the amalgation of police forces on the Island of Montreal.During my second year, he proposed that I join the force, which I did. I completed my Master`s  part-time and established  with him the Police Museum. He became my first boss. We are still very good friends and speak on a weekly basis, and we are both members of the museum with Harold. His name is Robert Côté. We also did a project with The Montreal History Center. Another boss told me that management studies would also be important for the future and that's what I did after. I'm also a lecturer at the dept of Criminology at the Université de Montréal  in crime prevention and  I participated in a number  of documentairies about the police."

 
 
 
 

Related

Community stalwart Edna Janco made an impact as my constituent/En mémoire d’Edna Janco

I was wondering in recent weeks  why one of...

Antisemitic and racist vandalism hits Côte Saint-Luc apartment building

The Equinoxe Rental Condos on Marc Chagall Avenue, located...

Traumatic accident for 89 year old CSL woman in Walmart parking lot

Dorothy Baker (Hart Winterfeld) was a dynamic and fully...

CSL Adopts resolution on the preventions of disturbances in Montreal

Is the City of Montreal doing enough to curb...

Newsletter

Don't miss

Mike Cohen
Mike Cohenhttps://mikecohen.ca
Mike Cohen, born and raised in Côte Saint-Luc, has long been active in the community as a volunteer, journalist, and consultant. He attended local schools and was first elected as City Councillor for District 2 in 2005. Since then, he has been re-elected in each municipal election, most recently in 2025. Mike Cohen, né et élevé à Côte Saint-Luc, est depuis longtemps actif au sein de la communauté en tant que bénévole, journaliste et consultant. Il a fréquenté les écoles locales et a été élu pour la première fois conseiller municipal du district 2 en 2005. Depuis lors, il a été réélu à chaque élection municipale, la dernière fois en 2025.

Two Great Steakhouses in Laval, a Dream Brunch, and  tastes from Toronto

If you’re looking for an excellent steak in Laval, let me share two wonderful recent experiences at Houston Steak & Fruits de Mer and...

Aging substation  makes us vulnerable for more power outages

Last week I wrote a blog, previewing the major Hydro-Québec work that will take place in Côte Saint-Luc over the next few years. Then...

Hydro-Québec to begin dismantling large towers/ Hydro-Québec va commencer à démanteler de grands pylônes

Many residents have called to ask me what all of the activity is about surrounding Hydro-Québec in District 2. This is part of a...